Organic electroluminescent display device and method for producing same

Abstract

This organic EL display device ( 100 ) has multiple pixels, and comprises: an element substrate ( 1 ) which has a substrate and multiple organic EL elements supported on the substrate and arranged in each of the multiple pixels; and a thin-film sealing structure ( 10 ) covering the multiple pixels. The thin-film sealing structure has a first inorganic barrier layer ( 12 ) and an organic barrier layer ( 14 ) contacting the upper surface or the lower surface of the first inorganic barrier layer. The element substrate further has a bank layer ( 33 ) defining each of the multiple pixels and multiple spacers ( 31 ) arranged in the gaps between the pixels, and the multiple spacers ( 31 ) are covered by the bank layer ( 33 ).

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. An organic electroluminescent display device including a plurality of pixels, the organic electroluminescent display device comprising:
 an element substrate including a substrate, and a plurality of organic electroluminescent elements supported by the substrate and respectively located in the plurality of pixels; and 
 a thin film encapsulation structure covering the plurality of pixels, 
 wherein the thin film encapsulation structure includes a first inorganic barrier layer and an organic barrier layer in contact with a top surface or a bottom surface of the first inorganic barrier layer, 
 wherein the element substrate further includes a bank layer defining each of the plurality of pixels, and a plurality of spacers located in gaps between the plurality of pixels, 
 wherein the plurality of spacers are covered with the bank layer, and 
 wherein the plurality of spacers are located at a higher density in a peripheral display region in a display region, in which the plurality of pixels are arrayed, than in a central display region in the display region. 
 
     
     
       2. The organic electroluminescent display device of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of spacers are located in the peripheral display region at a density that is at least twice the density in the central display region. 
     
     
       3. The organic electroluminescent display device of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of spacers have a height greater than a thickness of the bank layer. 
     
     
       4. The organic electroluminescent display device of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of spacers each have a circle equivalent diameter of 5 μm or greater and 30 μm or less as seen in a direction of normal to the substrate. 
     
     
       5. The organic electroluminescent display device of  claim 1 , wherein the organic barrier layer included in the thin film encapsulation structure is in contact with the top surface of the first inorganic barrier layer and includes a plurality of solid portions discretely distributed, and the thin film encapsulation structure further includes a second inorganic barrier layer in contact with the top surface of the first inorganic barrier layer and top surfaces of the plurality of solid portions of the organic barrier layer. 
     
     
       6. The organic electroluminescent display device of  claim 1 , wherein the organic barrier layer included in the thin film encapsulation structure is in contact with the bottom surface of the first inorganic barrier layer and acts also as a flattening layer having a thickness of 5 μm or greater. 
     
     
       7. The organic electroluminescent display device of  claim 1 , further comprising a touch sensor layer provided on the thin film encapsulation structure. 
     
     
       8. The organic electroluminescent display device of  claim 7 , wherein the touch sensor layer includes a metal mesh layer, and the plurality of spacers each have a circle equivalent diameter that is shorter than a minimum unit of the metal mesh layer. 
     
     
       9. The organic electroluminescent display device of  claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a flexible substrate. 
     
     
       10. The organic electroluminescent display device of  claim 1 , wherein the peripheral display region has a width that is 5% or greater and 15% or less of a length of the display region in a corresponding direction. 
     
     
       11. The organic electroluminescent display device of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of pixels are arrayed in a number of 50 or larger and 200 or smaller in a width direction of the peripheral display region. 
     
     
       12. A method for producing the organic electroluminescent display device of  claim 1 , the method comprising:
 step A of forming the plurality of spacers of a photocurable resin; 
 a step of: after the step A, providing a liquid-state photosensitive resin material such that the liquid-state photosensitive resin material covers the plurality of spacers; and 
 a step of patterning the photosensitive resin material by a photolithography pattern to form the hank layer. 
 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 12 , wherein the photosensitive resin material contains an acrylic resin or a polyamide resin.